Smart item technologies may include, for example, radio-frequency identification (RFID) systems, embedded systems, sensor motes, and/or sensor networks, and may be used, for example, to provide business software applications with fast access to real-world data. For example, smart item technologies may be used support the detection, reading, or writing of RFID tags, as well as to support communication with, and control of, wireless sensor networks and embedded systems. In many instances, smart items may include devices having local processing power, memory, and/or communication capabilities that are capable of providing data about the device and its properties, or information about a current state or environment of the smart item devices. Accordingly, some such devices may be used in the execution of service components of back-end or underlying business applications, and, in particular, may do so in a collaborative way, e.g., by forming mobile ad-hoc networks to collect, process, or transmit business data.
Examples of smart item devices include an RFID tag, which may be passive or active, and which may be attached to a real-world object and used to provide product or handling information related to the object. Other examples of smart item devices includes various sensors, such as, for example, environmental sensors (e.g., a temperature, humidity, or vibration sensor), which, as just referenced, may be capable of communicating to form one or more sensor networks. These and other types of smart item devices also may include embedded systems, which may refer generally to any system in which a special-purpose processor and/or program is included, and/or in which the system is encapsulated in the device being controlled.
Through automatic real-time object tracking and sensing capabilities, smart item technology may provide businesses with accurate and timely data about business operations, and also may help streamline and automate the business operations. Accordingly, cost reductions and additional business benefits (e.g., increased asset visibility, improved responsiveness, and extended business opportunities) may be obtained.